Protesters arrested as Fiji's President prepares to give assent to new Constitution

Fiji police have arrested a group of protesters in the capital Suva, who are opposed to the country's newly drafted constitution, ahead of it being accepted into law.

The group of around 30 people were protesting outside the gates of Government House in Suva, where later today the President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau will give assent to the new constitution, which will come into law immediately.

The group says the President's assent is just providing a rubber stamp to the controversial document, which replaces the constitution set aside by the military backed regime in 2009.

Police have arrested all protestors and taken them into custody.

The draft Constitution is due to be given presidential assent on Friday afternoon, two weeks after it was released.

The new document will replace the 1997 constitution, and calls for a single-chamber 50-member Parliament, with elections to be held every four years.

Fiji's Government says it paves the way for elections to be held before September next year.

Leaders at this week's Pacific Islands Forum expressed commitment to revisit Fiji's suspension from the Forum in the wake of the release of the new constitution.

Rights groups have criticised provisions which grant legal immunity to those behind the 2006 coup and restrictions on rights in the document.

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